Friday, March 7, 2014

Chester property owners entitled to stop paying school taxes

Because Chester property owners also pay state taxes, it’s been determined that double dipping has occurred due to the school district receiving taxes from your property taxes in addition to your state taxes. Since the school district is a tax collecting agency you can now stop paying property taxes and let the school district work to raise its own funding so not to rely solely on your property taxes.

Mayor Linder justifies snatching the $157,000 annual gift to the library because the library was successful when they asked voters if they’d pony up about $25 per household every year to help the library. Those voters didn’t vote on the city taking their ‘gift’ away but the city has acted on our behalf and now contributes $0 of our other tax money to the library. Why we couldn’t vote on that decision baffles me.

The mayor says they don’t have the money anymore. Yet, with a $53,000,000 budget, $157,000 amounts to three-tenths of one percent. There’s been no mention of the city making any effort to raise the money. Nope, let’s just erase it and make it go away.

It wouldn’t be so bad if there was some conversation with the library folks of their intentions of cutting out the ‘gift’. But to pull all the money away with no warning is cold.

Sure, new taxes are on the horizon that will flow to the library someday, so you’d think the city would wait until the library got the check, or at least tell them when they’ll get the check. Nope. The library will be okay closing on Monday. They should have counted on the city coming up empty despite the city’s respect and knowledge that the library needs the money and is still willing to try to support them.